We are travelling back to Hamilton from Wellington on the Overlander train, a journey of about 580km which takes 9 and a half hours at an average speed of, shall we say, slow!  It gives us the opportunity to relax, spend quality time together as a family and admire the scenery (much of which is not visible from the road – or so the spiel from the train crew goes).  I jest; it is indeed a very pleasant journey and the scenery is stunning.

As we travel along the coast out of Wellington we have but a short time to admire the morning light on the harbour and the tall buildings reflecting the sun like huge mirrors before we plunge into the tunnel that takes us through the mountain to the other side. We emerge into misty mountains to our east but clear blue sky to the west. This is the pattern for the next few kilometres; we go through Levin and the sun is shining through the heavy clouds over the mountains to the east. Levin (rhymes with “begin”) was founded in 1906 and named after William Hort Levin, a director of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company. The town’s Maori name is Taitoko but I have still to work out what it means – tai is something to do with tides or ocean I think.

Heading northwards we see cows and rolling plains to the west and still the misty mountains to the east.

We are just approaching Palmerston North which according to the train crew “allows visitors to participate in a large variety of adventurous activities”. There is a five minute stop here to take on passengers and let smokers off for a fag break!

Fielding – built along the same plan as Manchester, “so those of you that may hail from there will easily be able to find your way around” – but I bet that if you come from Fielding you would not be able to find your way around Manchester!  Onwards through the flat lands to Marton – beer brewing land -  and we start the climb up country to the mountains.  New Zealand is indeed a green and lush land, and as we trundle through it the sheep and the cows munch away contentedly and Aonghas chews on a meat pie, most of which he is wearing down his front as he is concentrating more on watching the DVD of Return of the King than looking at where his food is going!  Every now and then there is a small graveyard seemingly in the middle of nowhere but I presume they are Maori burial places. It is not easy to type and I will have to make extensive use of the spelling and grammar check, as the train rocks and rolls and makes me miss the keys.  This is certainly not a sleek Intercity 125, and even further removed from the smooth and aerodynamic movement of the TGV.  It takes me back to childhood train journeys, and it is sort of comforting to feel the rails beneath the wheels and all the bumps and trickety trick, trickety trick as the train bowls along.  The carriage has filled up as we have travelled north and it is always fascinating to observe our fellow passengers. We are sitting by the door so are frequently stared and glared at by people as they steady themselves to open the door – good old-fashioned handles that have to be turned, not pressure pad technology that magically opens the door as you approach.  Now there is the confident youth, then there is the mother and young child, the elderly, but determined lady and the portly middle aged man (not Nigel!). They all negotiate the awkward journey that takes them from one end of the carriage to the other.  Thrown from one side of the aisle to the other, grasping the head rests for balance and all but falling into a stranger’s lap, they achieve their goal of the door or the safety of their seats.

Just passed through the small town of Hunterville founded in 1884 by George Hunter who walked from Wellington .  It is famous for its Huntaway dogs which are a unique Herding dog which uses its bark to herd sheep.  There is a festival each year which starts with a dog barking competition and features The Shepherds Shemozzle – a race with man and dog. Shepherds travel from all over New Zealand to compete up hill and down dale and through the town obstacle course – fascinating the things you find out! The landscape is now very green and lumpy like upturned egg boxes. To the East the valleys are flat and the cliffs are getting more sheer, and to the east the many hillocks are more rounded.  The lush green fields are dotted with the white of the sheep and the tussocky grass.

This is the Rangitikei region – farming country with lovely native bush.  The Papa cliffs are spectacular, steep sided, impressive gorges and a sparkling white; the water is clear and looks refreshingly cool below as the river meanders through the gorge.  We cross it several times – there are 10 viaducts over the next 50 km we are told and our stewards reel off the names, heights and lengths of them too quickly for me to make notes – I will have to look them up later!   See this link for more details on the viaducts – http://trains.wellington.net.nz/bridges.html

However one of them is the Makohine Viaduct ( 229m long and 73m high ) and we dashed down to the front of the train to get a better view from the open air platform behind the engine.  It is very noisy but good to have fresh air and the wind in your face – as long as you face the right way and don’t get the fumes from the diesel.  We have picked up a bit of speed now and are almost faster than the cars on SH1 which runs alongside the track.  The boys were devastated on the way down that the cars outpaced the train, but when we are in the car they always want to race the trains and revel in the fact that we drive faster than them.  The sheep scurry away in an arc across the fields as the train goes past, three brown cows sit in a row unmoved by the noise and the deer continue to graze and then blackness as we enter a tunnel. It feels strange to be hurtling along in complete darkness, a bit like the old ghost trains at the fairground – what ghoul will pop out round the corner, what gooey, sticky strands will sweep across my face…?  But no, we are back out into the light again all safe and no surprises.

We pass through Mangaweka which from the train seems like a tiny little place and as we whizz through it I spot a sign for the Mangaweka International airport (this has to be a joke, surely!)– there is an old plane parked next to the sign and close by there is the General Store and then a Gospel Hall.  According to good old Wikipedia “The town also hosts the controversial annual “Fakes & Forgeries Art Exhibition and Festival” in October and November”.

The odd colonial style house stands alone in a field, surrounded by the remnants of a once well-manicured garden, run down but still evocative of times past, the native bush reclaiming the space it used to occupy. On to Taihape which is a small town founded in 1894 and a centre for the timber industry.  The once busy sawmills are nearly all now closed but were the reason for the existence of the town when the native forest was cleared up until the 1940s. Famous now for its annual gumboot throwing competition and on the edge of the town there is a large corrugated gumboot to commemorate Taihape’s 100^th anniversary.

Did you know that before the arrival of people on NZ 85% of country was forested?  In the 1200s Maori felled and cleared the land to make way for crops and to build houses and waka and so by the time the European settlers arrived in the mid 1800s only 55% of the land was forested. Maori lived mainly along the coastal areas on both Islands but some iwi moved to the geo thermal areas around Rotorua in the winter. In a very short space of time between the mid 1890s and early 1900s the European settlers cleared huge tracts of land for grazing and farming as well as felling the mighty Kauri trees to be exported, so that nowadays only 25% of the land retains its forest and much of the native trees have been lost.  There are huge campaigns and efforts now to regenerate the native bush and re-introduce endangered species of plants and birds.

We continue on over the viaducts; The North Rangitikei viaduct is (I think) 181 m long, 77 m high, then the Toetoe viaduct (59 m long 58 m high) with a pretty waterfall to the west.  We are travelling through rolling country with hills to the east and west and we are steadily rising with the help of “gradings” shaped like horseshoes which help the train climb the inclines – you can often see the track above us as we snake around.  Onto the plains of Waiouru which is where the NZ army has its training grounds.  It is the highest point on the journey at 814m above sea level and the furthest point from the sea on our journey.  It is also the home of the army museum and memorial –where you can find out about the national military heritage.

We continue across the plains and then come to Tangiwae.  This is the site of New Zealand’s worst rail disaster when on Christmas Eve night in 1953 a lahar swept down the valley and washed the train off the track.  The last two carriages were left teetering on the track which allowed many passengers to escape but 151 died.

We stop at Ohakune for half an hour for lunch, a coffee, a wander round to stretch the legs and a trip to a loo that doesn’t move out of the way just as you descend onto it!  The railway cafes at National Park Village and Ohakune must make a killing for half an hour each day as a train load of passengers disembarks for a break from the journey.  Ohakune is 2027ft above sea level, a big skiing area on the southern side of Ruapehu, and also a famous for its vegetable growing.  It is home to the Giant Carrot – we have noticed that NZ towns like to have some sort of quirky “thing” for which they can be recognised – giant carrots, giant corrugated kiwis, Golden Shears, giant apples and so on.  We have not been back to Ohakune since our campervan was broken into when we were on holiday here 5 years ago.  Although Lachlan came for a week’s skiing with the school ski team and is keen for us to return as a family – maybe we can get over the break-in now and put that episode behind us!

We approach the historic HapuaWhenua viaduct which is built on a big curve 414m long.  First opened in 1908, it was replaced by a new concrete viaduct in 1987.  Earlier this year renovations of the old viaduct were complete and “now it is an exciting and safe experience to walk along the deck, study the construction and design of the viaduct, marvel at the new concrete viaduct and enjoy the serenity of the bush and the antics of the native birds”.  In 1987 AJ Hackett ran NZ’s first Bungee Jump off the old Hapuawhena viaduct.  As we travel over the viaduct we can look into the gorge below onto the crowns of the bright green spring fronds of the Ponga ferns and the darker spikes of the Cabbage trees.  And now the rain starts – no views of snow-clad Ruapehu, Ngaruahoe or Tongariro today.  Travelling through the native bush towards National Park Village we will climb steadily and will soon negotiate the Raurimu Spiral.

The Last Spike – marks the completion of the NI main trunk line and the creation of the Auckland to Wellington link.  There is a sort of obelisk that marks the spot and a sign post – the Prime Minister of the day was presented with a silver spike which is now in the Te Papa museum in Wellington.

The Makatote Viaduct is the highest one on the journey and the 3^rd highest in NZ. It is 79 metres tall and 262 metres long – on a good day you can see Taranaki to the West and Ruapehu to the East.  It spans a forested gorge and we can see a small river meandering through it.

Now we have come to a halt and are waiting at Makatote just south of National Park Village for the southbound train so that crew can swap over. Alongside the track there is toetoe, ox-eye daisies, pine trees, birch, flax, gorse and broom, totara, bracken … and lots more that I don’t know the names of.  I was here just a few weeks ago with the Year 10 girls from my school on Outdoor camp and we mountain biked through this forest in glorious sunshine.  Unfortunately today we do not have the views that we were treated to then.

We go through National Park Village and then onwards to the Raurimu Spiral.  It is an amazing feat of engineering and quite bewildering to travel round.  Basically the station at National Park on the south side was 714 feet above Raurimu Station on the north side although a straight line of only about 7 km separated them. The problem was to join up the two places with a workable grade.  This was done by means of the spiral and now the distance travelled between the stations is 11km. It is said that if the aeroplane had existed when reconnaissance surveys were made then the Raurimu spiral would never have been built. A guy called James Cowan described the spiral thus; “The line is run as an ascending spiral, a complete circle (which passes over itself at a higher level), and two tunnels. The fashion in which this mountain railway ties knots in itself is rather puzzling on first experience.”  Earlier on in the year we had stopped on the road at Raurimu where there is a lookout and a model of the spiral – looking at it there and trying to spot the track through the bush, it was quite difficult to work out how the spiral worked but now that we have travelled it all has become clear!

The boys are getting tired; we have been up since 5.30am and they are flagging and getting tetchy.  Nigel played a few games of Uno with them before the Ohakune break.  A hot chocolate and a poke of chips revived them temporarily but they are getting on each other’s nerves now. Aonghas had a go at trying to sleep but can’t get comfortable.  I know, I thought – let’s have a game of Tantrix – it distracted them for a while but Lachlan lost interest when it looked like he wasn’t going to win and Aonghas didn’t like Lachlan “advising” him where to put his tiles.  Oh dear!  Game over and the blue line won – nobody was playing blue so we all lost which makes life simpler, I suppose!

270 km into the journey and we are at Taumarunui which is 171m above sea level and has a population of 26,500.  Taumarunui means giant sun screen in Maori. Apparently as the great Maori chief Pehi Turoa lay dying on the plain he asked for a sun screen to be erected to shield him from the harsh rays of the sun. Originally a Maori settlement at the confluence of the Ongarue River with the Whanganui, where important canoe routes linked the interior of the island with the lower Whanganui River settlements, it then became an important trading post in the 19^th century and is now the gateway to ski areas and water sports on the Whanganui river which is the 2^nd longest in NZ.

My computer battery died on me so I decided to take a break and read my book – an hour later I awake and the seats around me are deserted!  My family have gone awol!  The sun has come out and although there are still plenty of grey clouds, there is a freshness in the air.  We are in Te Kuiti – Sheep Shearing Capital of the world – I just love the labels they give their towns here! There is a huge statue of a man shearing a sheep at the edge of town and an honours board of world champion sheep shearers.  We stop here regularly for a break when we drive down to Taumarunui.  Founded in 1897 it is a railway town in the heart of land which is very similar to the Yorkshire Dales.  The road from here down to Taumarunui is one of my favourite areas to drive through and certainly a place earmarked to explore more thoroughly in the future.  Otorohanga (meaning food for a long journey), known for dairy and sheep farming and marketed as NZs Kiwiana town,  has based its tourism on the quirky kiwi icons that decorate the shops and businesses down the main street – Buzzy Bee, Hokey Pokey Ice cream, kiwis, pukeko, jandals to name but a few.  Lachlan has returned – they have been out on the viewing platform behind the engine.  Aonghas and Nigel are back now too – they were on an anti-sickness mission! All good now though!  Only an hour now before we arrive in Hamilton and we are in familiar country.  The novelty of a train ride has sort of worn off now after 9 hours and we have seen the scenery outside plenty of times though it is still quite interesting to see things from a different perspective.  We come to Te Awamutu which means – the end of the channel – or the river’s end.  Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand land wars of the 19th century, serving as a garrison town for the colonial settlers.

As we approach Hamilton we are told that it is the fourth largest in New Zealand and is famous for its beautiful gardens and Mystery Creek where you can get “hands on” with a cow!  (The mind boggles!)  Its Maori name is Kirikiriroa which means long stretch of gravel, but the settlement of Hamilton was founded on 24 August, 1864 and named after Captain John Charles Fane Hamilton, the popular Scottish commander of HMS Esk who was killed in the battle of Gate Pa, Tauranga.

We step off the train into the early evening sunshine, grab a taxi and head home.  We have had a great trip and I would really recommend the train journey.  The desire to stay awake and make the most of the stunning views is strong – but then I don’t like missing out on anything – but it is a long time to be on a train with two active boys!  Fortunately we had table seats so we had space to play games and watch videos but that would have been less easy if we had been in two sets of forward facing seats.  There is the option of going to the observation car at the back of the train and spending some time there, which we did on the way down to Wellington.  There is a huge panoramic window at the rear of the carriage from which you have the most amazing view.  However the boys preferred the tiny open air platform directly behind the engine – much more exciting and it provides an opportunity to get some fresh air!  A fascinating journey but it’s always good to be home!

(thanks to Wikipedia for clarifications on the info I heard and half-heard on the train!)

Lachlan, Aonghas and Nigel, Castle Point December 2009

Merry Christmas everyone!

I am making use of a long ride on a train to pen this seasonal missive.  We are travelling back to Hamilton from Wellington on the Overlander train, a journey of about 600km which takes 9 and a half hours at an average speed of, shall we say, slow!  It gives us the opportunity to relax, spend quality time together as a family and admire the scenery (much of which is not visible from the road – or so the spiel from the train crew goes).  I jest; it is indeed a very pleasant journey and the scenery is stunning.  On the way down I recorded some video footage of the journey, but you will be pleased to know that you won’t get to see it as I inadvertently deleted it from the camera card when transferring the data onto the computer!  But wait, I have another 7 hours to go on the return journey – more opportunities for videos, so maybe you will have the pleasure of sharing our adventure after all!  I ramble on and you have probably lost the will to live already so maybe I should get on with telling you some of our news.

We have survived a second year in NZ and time certainly seems to have flown by. The boys, especially Lachlan, have developed a bit of a Kiwi accent.  A sort of defence mechanism, I think, to fit in with his peer group as he can slip back into “Yorkshire” when his Dad doesn’t understand him! Aonghas has adopted the antipodean inflection but his vowel sounds haven’t changed yet. (Scenery update: Misty mountains to our east but clear blue sky to the west just north of Wellington) Lachlan will start Year 11 in February and the spectre of NCEA Level 1 (equivalent to GCSE) looms at the end of that year – he will have to study a bit harder than he has this year, although to be fair he has developed more maturity and independence this year and has grown into a fine young man.  (I’m not biased – I’m his mother!)  Aonghas starts his last year at Primary school and is excited that he is in Mr Peart’s class – the only male teacher in the school and very hip and cool! (Bleached blond hair and trendy clothes!)

Both boys are involved in lots of sport.  Squash is a new pursuit this year – after a 25 year break from the game I have started playing again and Lachlan and Aonghas have both taken to it so we are trying to persuade Nigel to have a go too!

10th Birthday - Aonghas 2009

Duathlons, Triathlons and Fun Runs have been a big part of our sporting events this year too.  They are good fun and as competitive as you want them to be – of course we don’t worry about our times or where we come in the order – participation is the name of the game, isn’t it?  (However Lachlan has been consistently in the top half of his age group (U17) and I have usually managed a top ten placing in my age group,and he can now beat his mother by about 4 minutes over 10km!).  Aonghas has started swimming again this summer and is in the Development Squad at the local swimming club which he grudgingly enjoys. He doesn’t like the idea of going as he would prefer to play, but once he is there he admits that it is good!  (Scenery update: Just coming up to Levin and the sun is shining through the heavy clouds over the mountains to the east) Lachlan has continued to play rugby as his Winter sport, but has got more involved in volleyball during the Spring, and was lucky enough to go with them to the North Island Volleyball Champs in Rotorua.  Aonghas decided to play hockey this year instead of rugby and has really enjoyed himself scoring several goals and proving to be a useful member of the team.

We haven’t got out into the hills walking as much as we would have liked as life has been pretty hectic.  Nigel and I have both been busy at work – Nigel has been off to several conferences about the country and also spent a couple of weeks in Australia. I have been settling into a new job at Waikato Dio and trying to make myself indispensable – a worthwhile investment of time as I now have a permanent full-time position there!  It will be a challenging year ahead as although I have a relatively small teaching load, I continue in my role as Teacher IT Coach, and take on a new responsibility of organising the Outdoor Education Camps.  Three of the five year groups (about 140 girls in each year group) go on camp for a week at a time, so it is quite a logistical undertaking and a huge responsibility too.  Fortunately, I am taking over from someone who had everything well set up so I don’t aim to change anything major next year, just get my head around the job.  I managed to go on all three of the camps this year (Yr 9, Yr 10 and Yr 12) and got the opportunity to try out white water rafting, surfing (in the freezing cold ocean in winter!!), archery and also to do the awesome Tongariro Crossing which is

Tongariro Crossing, November 2009

an iconic kiwi walk – it’s a bit like doing the Three Peaks in terms of a must do walk. I have also got my caving count up to 4 NZ caves now – just need to get the rest of the family out to them now I know where they are.

Talking of the Tongariro Crossing – it traverses a volcanic area about 2 hours south of Hamilton where we have had our first forays into family skiing.

"Snowplough king understudy"

Whakapapa is a great ski resort on Mount Ruapehu – an active volcano which last erupted in the 1990s.  The boys, of course, got the hang of planks on feet pretty quickly, and Nigel’s body took a long hard look at the memory bank and realised that it had been there too, so we were away!  To our amazement (and his!), after just 3 days skiing, Lachlan was asked to be in the school ski

"snowplough king"

team and so he had the opportunity to spend a week away training with a crowd of very good skiers and participate in the North Island Secondary School Ski Champs.  He went as a travelling reserve so didn’t really get a chance to ski in any races but had a great time nonetheless, and it was an invaluable experience for him.

Now that summer is here (and Lachlan isn’t playing tennis every Sunday this summer) we aim to get away for some weekends and walk or mountain bike.  We have joined the Hamilton Mountain Bike Club and go every Wednesday for race night – fun for all the family, though we have yet to get Nige to join in

Pukete Spaghetti 2009

( he is using a broken chain as an excuse at the moment).  We have also had a couple of trips to the Redwoods in Rotorua where there are some awesome tracks.  Aonghas has really taken to it despite having to cycle on a rigid bike with dodgy gears!  (last heard shouting “Mum, my balls hurt – I don’t think I’ll be

Pukete Spaghetti, 2009 Aonghas

able to have children when I’m older!)  Maybe Santa will have heard?!  (Scenery update: Cows and rolling plains to the west, misty mountains to the east)

The main obstacle to getting out more regularly at weekends is the garden.  It has been great to have our own house this year with space to develop the garden and grow veggies.  Nigel spent a good few weekends in late

Veggie bed, October 2009

winter/early spring digging the ground and then building two raised beds which he has filled with a huge array of vegetables.  We have inherited an amazing watering system – a network of plastic pipes and sprinklers which is operated electronically so we can set it to water when we aren’t there.  Fantastic – no more standing around with a hosepipe!  The major drawback for Nigel is that I keep sticking a fork through the pipes when I get a little

Aonghas, October 2009

over-zealous with the weeding so he spends more time locating the leaks and fixing the holes than he really wants to!  We have already harvested and eaten broccoli, silverbeet, spring onions, carrots, green beans and courgette and are looking forward to cucumber, capsicums, artichokes (globe), beetroot, rock melon, fennel, tomatoes and more that I can’t remember!  Stuff grows so fast here but that also includes the weeds, so every silver lining has a cloud!  (Scenery Update: Just approaching “Palmerston North which allows visitors to participate in a large variety of adventurous activities”. A five minute stop here to take on passengers and let smokers off for a fag break!)

We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas together in our new home – last year we moved in and then headed straight down to Wellington for Christmas with Nigels’ family.  So this year we have spent a very pleasant week before Christmas in Wellington and Greytown with Aunty Chris and Aunty Moi catching up and being spoilt.  We will spend New Year with our friends Liz and Chas and their two boys Jamie and Josh at a house they have rented at Manukau Head and then we plan to head further north towards the Bay of Islands for a few days to explore.

We had a few visitors from the UK this year and it was great to see them – Ben and Samuel Davis turned up out of the blue and we spent a delightful evening with them, and then Aunty Margaret came to stay for two weeks which was just lovely.  So hopefully 2010 will see a few more of you!

Well, once again a Merry Christmas to you all.  Hope that 2010 brings all that you wish for and lots of pleasant surprises.  We look forward to seeing and hearing from you – e-mail, text, skype, phone or in person!

Aonghas, Lachlan, Anne, Margaret, Nigel in Babaganush, Hamilton East

The boys said Goodbye to their Great Aunt Margaret on Tuesday evening and I took her up to Auckland to get the plane to start the last leg of her trip. She still couldn’t get her head around the fact that she was going on a 12 hour flight to Los Angeles which would arrive 3 hours after she set off from Auckland. I must admit I find it bizarre too – time zones are strange things.  Anyway she was looking forward to going to Vancouver and still trying to decide whether to get the flying boat over to Vancouver Island or go on the ferry. I think she was quite taken with the flying boat as we saw a couple at Lake Taupo and was attracted by the idea of flying in and landing on the water!

She had a good time in Wellington with Chris and Brian.  They spent a couple of hours in Wellington itself and then had a drive round the coast.  Wednesday they went over the Rimutuckers to see Moi and Terry and spent a pleasant afternoon looking round the  beautiful Awaiti gardens in Carterton, and then fish and chips in in the White Swan in Greytown before heading back over the mountains to Upper Hutt.  Thursday they had the compulsory visit to Te Papa which as usual was a source of fascination and wonder, before heading back to Hamilton.

We had a damp last few days but made it to Rotorua on Saturday.  Lachlan and Nigel went mountain biking in the Redwoods whilst Aunty Marg, Aonghas and I went to Whakarewarewa.  Aonghas was given the choice of mountain biking but when he heard that we were going to Whakarewarewa he said “Is that the place where we had the sweetcorn?”  (5 years ago when he was 5yrs old) and when we said that it was, he decided that he would forego the bike ride in favour of sweetcorn!

Dinner at Whakarewarewa

It all started off so promising, the sun was shining and despite a bit of a breeze it was quite pleasant. We dropped the boys off at the Redwoods and embarked on our tour. Margaret was fascinated by it and I have to say that I too learnt something new and am always intrigued by the the place.  This was the third time I have been round and I have had 3 different guides.  Since they all live or have lived in the village and have all been different ages,  they all bring their

kapahaka show Whakarewarewa

own stories, memories and anecdotes to the tour.  We saw the Kapahaka show and Aonghas went up to do the Haka! Had a nosey round the shops and were just about to get a coffee when we got an SOS from the boys – Nigel’s chain had broken at the top of the hill – so I left Gus and Aunty Margaret in the cafe and headed out to pick them up just as it started to pour with rain!  They were like a pair of drowned rats, looking very miserable sheltering behind the entrance sign to the car Park!

The rain continued so we headed to the Fat Dog (where else?) for a (big) bite to eat.

It was a rather damp weekend and plans for a trip out to the beach on Sunday came to nothing when we woke to torrential rain.  However, we spent a lovely day chatting and Aunty Margaret told me more tales about our family so that I could fill in some of the gaps in the family tree.  It was fascinating and I really want to get down to some real research and work on our genealogy.  Time, time, time – there is never enough of it!  She had a quiet day on Monday when I was at work, but it brightened up in the afternoon and we managed to get out to Hamilton Lake to see the Pukeko and the ducks.  We went out to Babaganush on Grey Street on Tuesday evening – well worth a visit – great food and reasonably priced too.  I managed to manage my day on Wednesday to squeeze in the trip to Auckland airport to see Margaret off which was great – luckily there were no traffic problems en route and so I got back in time for my afternoon  classes!  It really was lovely spending some time with Aunty Marg and having someone to talk to about Mum.  Quite a few weepy moments too but it was all good.  It will be difficult to remember everything she told me but I memories are always subjective and I am sure that some of hers were her personal interpretations of events which others may not see in the same way.  Isn’t that the nature of history?

Nearly the end of another school year and I feel a little more settled with a permanent job in the bag!  Knowing where I am going to be and what I am going to be doing (well, sort of!) is quite a nice feeling.   Mind you, I still haven’t received an official offer of a job in writing, although Vicky, our Principal, did announce to the rest of the staff that I had been appointed so I guess that is something!  All being well I will be at Dio for the foreseeable future teaching French part-time, part-time IT Teacher coach and Outdoor Ed co-ordinator.  An interesting portfolio and quite challenging but, hey, life is all the richer for a few challenges!  But there are still a few weeks to go of this year and they promise to be pretty busy! All those end of term/end of year things that we teachers and parents have to do – summer galas, end of term musical concerts, carol services, leavers’ ball, year 10 Camp, exam marking and reports – life is pretty hectic!

Last weekend the boys and I took part in the Round the Bridges race  – 2km for Gus and 6km for Lachlan and I.  With very little preparation due to injury and sheer laziness, it was a tough race – I hit the wall pretty early and had a stinker of a stitch – Nigel has a very unflattering video of me struggling across the finish line!  However, I still managed to come 8^th in my age group (35 – 49yrs) Lachlan did a better time, (well he has got youth on his side!) and Aonghas was disappointed that he didn’t beat his best friend ( he was 100^th of a second behind him!) but pleased that he beat last year’s time.  All in all a good day out but I am determined to a bit of training for the next one…..!

We have all joined the Hamilton Mountain Bike Club and have been going out on a Wednesday evening for Club night races.  Aonghas and Lachlan took part in the Pukete Spaghetti a few weekends ago and, as well as getting caked in mud, had a great time.  Aonghas has been at the back of the pack on the last few Wednesdays and is struggling somewhat on a bike with no suspension and dodgy gears, but he has persevered and after a particularly bumpy bit last week he said, ” Mum, my balls hurt – I might never be able to have children!”  Will have to look at getting him a new bike but he is at that awkward stage of being just too big for a child’s bike and not quite big enough for a small adult frame!  Trade-me beckons!   At least while I feel he needs me to stay with him I don’t have to go fast! I don’t want to bail and make a fool of myself – well, actually I don’t want to hurt myself, I don’t really care what people think!  Just need to get Nigel going now but he has the excuse of a broken chain on his bike…!

The garden is going well and we have started to harvest our first vegetables – Silver Beet.  There is something special about eating home-grown produce, isn’t there?  Fresh and chemical free.  The Broccoli is almost ready and there are flowers on the courgettes, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.  The spring onions are doing well as are the leeks and carrots. There is also a selection of “plants with no names” – I planted the seeds and rather foolishly used a water soluble pen to write the labels and the writing washed off in the rain!  Well, I quite like surprises!

We are starting to make plans for the Summer holidays – we have booked to go on the Overlander – the train down to Wellington in the first week of the summer hols.  We will stay with Nigel’s Aunties and have a family get together down there and then home back home for Christmas.  We have the option to spend New Year with some friends in a beach house they have booked but we would also like to go up to Northland as we haven’t explored up there yet.  Will let you know what we decide next post!

A quick update for family to let you know how Aunty Margaret is getting on!  We picked her up from the airport in Auckland last Wednesday – took the opportunity to treat Aonghas to a Birthday trip up the Sky Tower and pizza in “Little Italy”.  Poor weather on Thursday and Friday confined us to relaxing at home, spending Aonghas’ birthday money that was burning a hole in his pocket – more Star Wars lego!, and going out for a drive to see the countryside from the dry and warmth of a car.  Friday was brighter so we headed to Hamilton Zoo.  A long day and more walking than Margaret was used to, but she seemed to have had a good time talking to the parrots and seeing the baby rhino.  We spent a long time watching the Lemurs and then the Samain monkeys – they were very noisy!  Aonghas and I rushed back to see them when we heard them screeching – they are really weird as their throats swell up when they shout and you can hear a sort of echo from it.  We went to see the African hunting dogs being fed – quite brutal but they have beautiful markings.  After that we headed over to see the giraffes being fed – quite a hike but just seeing their huge blue tongues snaking through the wire fence to grab the carrots and silver beet they were being offered.  (Did you know that that giraffes have blue tongues to protect them from the sun as they are often out of their mouths grazing?) We had to go and see the rhinos as they are Aonghas’ favourite – the babies from last year are now quite big but a new baby was out and about racing up and down the paddock before returning to Mum for some food!

On Sunday the day dawned bright and sunny – a clear blue sky beckoned and we set off to Taupo to Orakei Korako.  We think this is one of the best examples of a Geothermal park but it has certainly changed since we were last there.  The geothermal area itself is no different but the entry area has been bulldozed, the streams that feed the lake have been canalised underground and the camping area is no more – it looks like they are developing a more upmarket resort – and the price for the 2 minute crossing over the lake and entrance to the geothermal area has increased.  Nevertheless, the good weather made for a good walk around and it is definitely an amazing place.  We were fascinated by the ducks with hter ducklings paddling round in the hot water but apparently they hang around in the hot water to stay away from the Shags who can’t cope with the heat!

We ended the day with a quick look at Huka Falls and then tea in Taupo before heading home tired and ready for a rest!

Margaret had a quiet day on Monday until I dragged her off to Hamilton Gardens to look around the Paradise Collection.  They really are lovely and always look different depending on the time of year.

She is now gallivanting around Wellington and the Wairarapa with Nigel’s Aunty Chris and Uncle Brian.  She went off on the plane from Hamilton today and will be back on Thursday.  They have a full couple of days planned for her but we’ll tell you all about that when she gets back!

More photos on Facebook!

Another trip down Shangri La – can’t remember if we blogged the last one!  One of the students from Hillcrest mailed me a few weeks ago to see if I would like to go along on the caving trip she was organising as part of her Advanced PE course.  Nigel was due to be in Oz so I had to take the boys along but since they had already done the trip in December that wasn’t a problem.  We were supposed to go in a minibus but plans changed at the last minute and it was decided that we would go in two cars – mine and Hans’.  Arrived at Hillcrest High to find all the students there, but Uivel had done one of his usual vanishing acts, so we decided we had time for a quick dash to the big red warehouse for wellies.  Once underway it was an uneventful journey – van full of unnaturally quiet testosterone – six teenage boys (and Aonghas)  all wired for sound and typically uncommunicative.  We stopped in Waitomo for coffee and to pick up helmets and lights and then along the road to Shangri La.  Hans pulled in at a gateway and went to open it – I wasn’t convinced but he was sure that it was the right spot.  I had remembered a gateway to a short, steep rubble track which led to two gates at the top, one to the right which opened out into a field with a view down to the entrance doline.  We walked through the gate for a better look and walked up the hill.  It wasn’t what I remembered but he was adamant saying “I’ll drive down the road to have a look but I think you’ll find that I am right”.  As we came back down the hill a Ute pulled up – it was the landowner to say that we were in the wrong spot and that it was further down the hill!  No comment!  At the top of the right track there was really only one space for a vehicle without blocking the gateways and since Hans was in front he signalled for me to drive through the right hand gate to park in the field.  I was reluctant as the entrance looked very boggy.  “You’ll be fine,” he said,” just keep hard right and you’re on solid ground!”   As the van slewed round and took its own path through the gateway I felt a small knot of anxiety form in my breast!!!   Not much I could do now – might as well go caving and cross that bog when we came to it!  As we were getting changed Aonghas let out a scream and doubled up in quite some distress, it took a while before he could speak as he was sobbing so much but we finally worked out that he had put his hand onto the fence to balance and received a hefty jolt of electricity!  Bless him, he soon recovered, but I guess he will think twice before touching a fence again!

It was a good trip – a little more water than last time which made the lower streamway quite sporting (for beginners).  We had a little fossick around the side passages and the little ones enjoyed the mud slides.  Oh yes, forgot to mention that Hans had brought Briana his 8 yr old daughter along – good company for Aonghas once they both got over their shyness! I missed the left hand branch because I had remembered it as a right hand branch  (probably because we missed it last time and came back up the passage and found it on the right!) negotiated the climb down and then spent a little time checking for the way on.  Memory certainly plays tricks on you and the increase in water flow made me question whether we had been in the stream passage last time!  But we had and we soon found the way out to daylight and a mudslide to exit the cave!  The resurgence stream was flowing well unlike last December which meant we could wash most of the mud off our gear before walking back to the cars.

And now to that bridge to cross!  It took a while; a bit of manoeuvring, brute force and some old fencing but we managed to extricate the van almost intact. (we now have a nice dent in the back where someone pushed the soft part of the tailgate!)  Chips in Otorohanga and then home for a nice bath to ease those old and aching muscles!  Bring on the next caving trip! Must mail Lucy for copies of the photos.

Well I find myself alone at home in the peace and quiet – a rare moment!  It is the end of an endless week but the time seems to be flying by and there are now only 4 weeks until the next holiday!  Practice exams are over, seniors are back full of good intentions after getting their exam results, the juniors are restless and ready for the reality of longer, warmers days that we have had  but a glimpse of in the last week or so and we are all looking forward to the opportunity to get outside and shed some layers.  But the climate is fickle and capricious; do we dare to shed the layers and feel hopeful, or will tomorrow bring a change of wind and a drop in temperature?  Who knows, but I, at least, take every scrap of sun and warmth and milk it for all I can!

So why am I alone in unaccustomed peace, you might ask?  The answer is that Nigel left for Australia at 6am and the boys are at squash coaching.  The peace will be short-lived as I will go and pick them up in half an hour, but we are without Nigel for a whole two weeks.  He is attending a string of conferences in various places in Oz over the next 15 days and conveniently has 4 days with nothing to do in the middle!  Good planning!  He had trouble packing as he couldn’t work out how hot it was going to be, poor thing!

Meanwhile, the boys and I will cope I am sure, and we are starting off this weekend with Aonghas’ hockey match and then a caving trip in Shangri-La in Waitomo – I’ll try and remember the camera this time!  Looking forward to it, will let you know how we get on.  Right then, better go and pick them up ….. Oh forgot to say I have two new children ,,,, a little soldier and a little girl!

Ngarahoehoe

We have finally made it to the Snow! ( Should have posted this before Midwinter madness… but forgot it was here! )

After much discussion, trawling the internet for accommodation and perusing the weather forecast we finally booked three days at Whakapapa.

Snowplough King!

Two excited boys and probably equally excited parents set off, car packed with winter woollies for the three hour drive to Mount Ruapehu.

..and all because the lady loves...

We arrived in National Park Village too late to get skis and stuff so headed to the chalet and settled down for tea.  The mountain had been closed all day due to high winds but next day dawned clear and bright with stunning views of Ruapehu and Ngaruhoehoe.  Off to the ski shop where the boys and I were quickly sorted but half an hour later and on his 7 zillionth pair of boots later we were still waiting for Nige to fit his knobbly feet into rigid, unforgiving plastic!  Up to the slopes then and we were a trifle nervous about whether we would need chains or even if the van would get up the hill!

Ruapehu

However, no problem, though only four-wheel drives and chained vehicles were allowed right to the end of the road; the rest of us had to park lower down and then use the free shuttle buses to get to the resort.  Lachlan was itching to get on the slope and was keen, as only a 14 year old boy with little imagination can be, to just get to the top of the mountain and ski down! We had decided to book the boys into lessons so Aonghas went down to Happy Valley and Lachlan went up to the Rock Garden, and we had a couple of hours to ourselves to explore!  We spent the afternoon skiing the mountain taking turns with each of the boys and by the time we dragged them away from the slopes they were both skiing confidently.

Next day we put Aonghas into another lesson which gave him a real boost and then we hit him with the Rock Garden!  It’s amazing how resilient kids are; despite lots of wipeouts and a good amount of tears, frustration and temper Aonghas still wanted to go back up and ski down again!  Lachlan bulldozed his way inelegantly down the upper mountain in a neanderthal snowplough but loved every minute; he survived a mega wipeout on his first ride on a T-bar and was soon riding them like an expert!  Two happy but exhausted boys were out like lights the moment their heads hit the pillows!

ups-a-daisy!

We paid the price of not remembering how dehydrated you can get on the ski slopes – Aonghas suffered that evening and was quite sick but a good night’s sleep and plenty of water and he bounced out of bed the next day as children do!

Ready to go!

We were vindicated in our decision to take our hire stuff back the previous evening when we awoke to a mountain disguised as a fuzzy grey cloud!  Made our way home with a sense of achievement and a determination to come back for more!

Aonghas in Happy Valley

I note from comments on Facebook that the Glorious 12^th is upon us!

Life goes on and I read with envy the summer holiday exploits of friends in the UK as we don our winter clothes and wrap up against the cold. Can’t complain though, as the extreme low temperatures seem to be behind us and spring is in the air. It is true that we have had some very cold weather but it has also been clear and bright.  Of course we have seen rain and fog, and had some cold, damp days but the overall impression is of a bright, cold winter.  Over the last few weekends Nigel has been working hard in the garden digging, pruning, shredding and building, and we now have two raised beds for vegetables.  I have pottered about tidying up the straggly plants, weeding and pruning.  Everything seems to grow so fast here, especially the weeds which almost appear to come through as fast as you pull them out!   We will have to really work out a good composting and mulching system as we produce so much garden waste.  We have already drastically pruned some of the smaller trees, had a reasonable go at the lower branches of some of the bigger ones but probably need some advice on how to attack others.  We have plenty of ideas and plans for the garden and are quite excited about what we can do.  It has been interesting working out what sort of new plants we can grow outdoors here;  Tamarillos, oranges, lemons, peppers, chillis, feijoas, passion fruit.  Mmmm… can’t wait!

I had a setback in my learning how to say “No” campaign, (remember, part of the moving to New Zealand strategy of not getting too involved and over stretched).  A couple of weeks ago I found myself responsible for the Year 12 PE ski trip – my colleague who should have taken the group had to pull out at the last moment so I was asked if I would step in – sorry Sue, I said “yes”.  How could I not? Can’t resist the opportunity to go skiing and Zara needed help….. After complicated arrangements with Vicky, our Principal about where she would leave the minibus key for me to collect at 6am so that I wouldn’t disturb her and her husband (they were using the minibus the evening before), I arrived at school at 5.45 to find the school gates locked!  Zara had left me an incredibly detailed set of instructions for the 3 day trip but had omitted to mention that I would need a code to open the school gates!  I looked to see if the pedestrian gates were open but they too were locked.  I had a feeling that if I could get in the sensors would be activated once I drove the bus towards the gate and it would open.   After some agonising I decided I would have to phone Zara and see if she knew what the code was – she didn’t!  So, encouraged by the fact that the girls were starting to arrive I decided to jump the gate and hope that my intuition about the sensors was right.  Luckily it was and we managed to get the van out and loaded up, and then we were off.

The good weather on the down made it a quick trip and we arrived at Whakapapa in good time to have a full afternoon on the mountain.  Just as well as it was the best weather of the three days!  Nevertheless, it was bitterly cold riding the chairlifts as the wind blew the snow into our faces and soaked us to the bone.  Despite a heavy snowfall during the night the mountain was closed the next day, apart from the Nursery slopes, due to high winds – reminds me of Scotland!  The girls showed great ingenuity in skiing all day, still having fun and making it a challenge on one busy ski slope with one lift and a very long queue!  At 9pm the sky was crystal clear, the stars were out and competing with the lights of the piste-bashers which were moving around the mountain like huge extra-terrestrial robots.  At 5am there was no change – we started to think that the weather forecast was wrong and we would have a good morning’s skiing.  At 7am a cloud descended and shrouded the mountain – no wind so the lifts opened and off we went!  The snow was great under the skis but we couldn’t see it – a bit unnerving when you are the only ones on the mountain and can’t see the edges of it!  Luckily we had dug the minibus out of the snowdrift the day before and pointed it downhill so we had no problems getting away and back up to Hamilton.

The following weekend, Lachlan went to the same place for his Sports Development Snow trip …. he had two days of glorious blue skies and the benefit of the huge snowfall when we were away.  He was one of only three skiers in the group as all the rest were beginner snowboarders, so the three of them skied for two days with the instructor – a great experience!  He came home full of excitement as he had been asked to be a reserve in the school ski team!  He is off to the North Island School Ski Champs in a couple of weeks, and though it is unlikely that he will compete,  he will get to ski for five days with some top skiers and get extra coaching.

Don’t know if we will get away skiing again as a family – we’ll see what the weather is like in the Spring holidays.

Wow!  What a busy term! When we looked at the term planner at the beginning of last term we were pleased to note that there were at least 4 short weeks – that is weeks with one non-teaching day.  They were either Teacher Professional Development  Days or whole school events such as House Cross Country and House Singing. However if we were under any illusion then that that would mean a bit of a break, we certainly aren’t now!  It has been a frenetic and exhausting term coupled with cold weather and short days.  I am definitely ready for a bit of time to replenish my energy store.

Swine Flu has also added to the worries – with classes missing up to 12 girls at a time due to illness, teaching and learning has been affected.  I guess if you are reading this in the UK you may well be unaware of the hype surrounding Swine Flu – probably only heard about it in passing on International news.  Here however, it is a constant in the news.  We had our first 3 deaths over the weekend and have gone from “Containment” to “Management”.  To start off with everyone coming off a plane was carefully checked for flu-like symptoms and immediately tested and quarantined; those with no symptoms were asked to monitor their own health and report immediately to a doctor if they developed flu symptoms.  In schools, Senior Leadership Teams were manically preparing Pandemic Plans in case of school closures; indeed several schools around NZ did close for short periods. The aim was to try to contain the virus but once the magic number of over 100 reported/tested cases ranged around the country was reached we went into “Management” phase.  To the dismay of the students this means that there are unlikely to be any school closures unless so many staff and students are absent with the virus that it is impossible to operate effectively.  We have had one confirmed case in our school but it is likely that there have been others as the doctors are no longer routinely testing suspected cases.  It is generally perceived to be no more dangerous than normal seasonal flu; masses of deaths are not expected but it highly contagious.  The fear is that so many people will be ill and unable to work at once that the basic infrastructure of daily life will be threatened.  We are still in the middle of winter so still plenty of time for people to succumb to wintry illnesses which lower the immune system leaving it open to the HN1N1 virus.  Let’s hope that we emerge unscathed!

I have just recovered my voice after losing it somewhere for a few days to the great amusement of my boys. Standing out in the damp and cold watching Lachlan playing rugby in far flung destinations in the Waikato probably hasn’t helped, but then neither has playing hockey in the pouring rain 3 weekends on the trot!  How come it always seems to rain on Sundays?  Reading that, it sounds like we have had a wet winter but that is certainly not the case. For the most part we have been blessed with high pressure which has meant beautiful clear blue skies, very cold nights and early mornings (-5C) but warming up to around 15C in the sun in the afternoons.  Can’t really complain!  However, the school holidays have started and so has the rain – why am I not surprised?  At least that means that it will be snow over the mountains, which is all good as we plan to get to the ski fields next week. Well  that does depend on Number 1 Son who, true to form, has managed to injure himself playing rugby.  He came off worse in a tackle on Saturday and has sprained his shoulder (not sure what that means!) but apparently he should be okay after a couple of weeks rest.  It does mean that instead of playing tennis this week he will be at home and useful as a babysitter so that I can go out and catch up with some friends….

Lachlan is the proud winner of his first squash tournament despite not being able to play his final match.  He has already spent his winnings –a $30 Warehouse Voucher – on a DVD and a CD.  His rugby team are struggling to win after having managed to qualify for the “A” Grade competition. They certainly don’t lack talent but commitment to training is a problem and getting up early to get to Away matches is not popular (I can relate to that!).  So far they have lost all but one game which they drew but the results don’t tell the whole story; if we only played 2^nd halves we would have won most of the matches – it takes them 40 minutes to get going! Never mind, it is all a learning process and hopefully they will come out of it stronger, more well-rounded players!!!  (see http://www.hillcrestrugby.co.nz/ for match reports and pictures)

Aonghas and his hockey team have had more success so far.  After the first few rounds of short 25 minute games they have qualified for the Milne Cup competition as one of the top 8 teams.  From now on games will be more competitive as they will be playing the best teams and they will also last 45 minutes.  However, they have really come on as a team; there are a few players who have played before but also a few, like Aonghas, who have never even held a stick before!  Aonghas is really enjoying playing – he has scored a few goals which has helped his confidence and he now needs to work on hitting the ball.